3 trade partners for Brandon Marsh
The LA Angels have much to do when this lockout ends, and I wouldn't be surprised if they traded Brandon Marsh.
I'm a huge fan of Marsh, and would love to see him stay an Angel. That being said, the insiders expect us only to land significant starting pitching if we agree to trade Marsh. We all know the Halos desperately need starting pitching, so Marsh may be the one to go.
There are three clear potential landing spots for the coveted prospect, and don't be surprised if he ends up at one of these new spots sometime this offseason.
No. 3 trade partner for Brandon Marsh: Cincinnati Reds
The Angels are reportedly interested in trading for Luis Castillo (Jim Bowden), and Jon Morosi believes that the only way they can snag him is by selling them Marsh. Morosi said he could see it working if the Reds do decide to go ahead and trade Castillo.
He reported that the Reds are leaning towards keeping him, but that the Angels are the frontrunners if he is to go. And the Reds would welcome Marsh with open arms.
Their outfield finished in the bottom three in MLB last year in stolen bases (19), and could absolutely use the speed on the bases that Marsh possesses. The worst case scenario for them would be that they decide to keep him in the Minors to start, and bring him up when he's even more polished and ready to excel at the big league level.
No. 2 trade partner for Brandon Marsh: Oakland Athletics
Bowden also reported that the Angels have "had conversations with Oakland about Frankie Montas and Chris Bassitt." If this is the case, Marsh may be the one that has to go here as well.
This is because Bassitt is arguably an even better trade target than Castillo. Therefore, if Castillo costs Marsh, then Bassitt would too. If the pitcher the Halos trade for is Montas, then that may be a different story.
Bassitt would be the preferable one to pick up for the Angels, so he will be speculated to be dealt for Marsh if the A's decide to put up a fire sale. And they very well might do it. Everyone seems to be speculating that they'll be massive sellers this offseason, and while they haven't started yet, there's still plenty of offseason left if this lockout could finally end.
After all, Marsh is a perfect candidate for someone to trade for if they're hosting a fire sale. The A's would be getting a great prospect who already has a rookie season under his belt and already plays outstanding defense. His raw abilities are already here as well, and he has a very high ceiling.
No. 1 trade partner for Brandon Marsh: Miami Marlins
Bowden also says that the Angels have "talked to the Miami Marlins about their pitching." We don't know exactly what that means because he didn't name names, but if it's for a huge prize like Trevor Rogers for instance, Marsh is going to absolutely have to be traded. He's the top trade piece on this team, and he's going to be needed if the Marlins are going to give us an All-Star like that.
It's similar if Miami is willing to trade us a blue chip prospect like an Edward Cabrera or a Max Meyer. If they are going to give us an elite prospect, they're AT LEAST going to want the best of what we've got too.
All in all, this is what the Halos get for not developing a good farm. We don't have a ton of trade bait due to our farm being so bad. Therefore, we may have to part ways with a player we've been excitedly developing for the last five years.
If we really can net a huge pitching name, however, it very well may be worth it. Hopefully, we can acquire pitching AND keep Marsh at the same time.